Latest from Professional Development/Leadership
Are You Takin’ Care of Business?
Your Security To-Do List —
The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis, was famous for Takin’ Care of Business. But when it comes to your cybersecurity dashboard, do you have the right metrics and visibility to mount a proper cyberdefense? Or are your cyberoptics just along for the ride?
No matter how many news stories about hacks, information theft, and cyberespionage surface within your Facebook or Twitter feed, the idea that it could happen to your organization sometimes remains just that. Many companies do not devote the proper resources to effectively safeguarding their networks, even though the global cost of cybercrime will reach $2 trillion by 2019, up 3 times the amount in 2015.
Don’t wait for cybercrime to find you — remember that the best defense is always a good offense. Maintaining a successful security strategy requires dedication and delivering on a strategy that supports all functions of an organization. Security is a company-wide issue, and quantifiable metrics not only unify language but also demonstrate success.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE
Your team can’t catch what they don’t see. Sounds like a catchy song lyric, doesn’t it? Maintaining a comprehensive view of the entire organization means more than just access to networks and systems. It requires an understanding of typical user behaviors and data traffic patterns, plus an awareness of corporate protocols as they relate to remote users and servers.
Proper visibility throughout an organization necessitates laser focus on:
BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) protocol and management
Most organizations have policies around personal devices brought from home. These may or may not be followed, so a closer eye on device usage throughout the organization is warranted.
Email traffic
Did you know that in the third quarter of 2016 alone, 18 million new malware samples were captured? Viruses via email remain a top concern for security teams.
Social and Internet traffic
It’s likely that most employees in your organization use social media, perhaps even to promote the business. Prevent them from becoming an avenue into committing fraud or damaging the brand.
Unusual user behaviors
Understanding your organization’s user behaviors is key to spotting abnormal patterns. Communicate clear policies and expectations for employees, and enforce compliance to avoid accidental missteps and catch genuine incidents.
Cloud applications and virtual servers
Internet-based applications create functional and productivity tools for an organization, but they put data at risk. Careful monitoring and protective firewall construction prevent easy access for hackers.
InvisiLight® Solution for Deploying Fiber
April 2, 2022
Go to Market Faster. Speed up Network Deployment
April 2, 2022
Episode 10: Fiber Optic Closure Specs Explained…
April 1, 2022
Food for Thought from Our 2022 ICT Visionaries
April 1, 2022THE BEST METRICS: KEEP IT SIMPLE
Create a security plan with goals that are understood and supported by the whole company. Measurement offers a clear and concise method of presenting critical information, so it’s important to measure the right statistics.
Communicate on stats and data aligned with business objectives to gain the support of your employees, and create a common language that everyone can understand. Focus on answering the following questions.
How are we doing compared to our peers? In today’s business environment, understanding how successfully your organization prevents data loss or theft compared to other companies in your vertical provides a clear perspective on how effectively your strategy is working.
How quickly are we able to respond to a breach? Your response plan to a potential security incident is a critical factor in recovering from a cybercrime. Remember, it’s not IF you are breached, it’s WHEN. Recognition of an incident, isolation of a breach, and recovery, convey the crucial steps to preventing widespread loss of private data.
Two of the effective security metrics Secure Anchor uses with our clients are Dwell Time and Lateral Movement.
Dwell Time answers the question How long did it take you to find and contain a breach?
Lateral Movement describes how you were or were not able to prevent the cyber adversary’s movement throughout your network.
Are we getting better? Cybersecurity is never "done." Regular audits of security processes and breach protocols provide opportunity to improve and excel. Make sure your executive board is cognizant of the evolving journey.
Are we spending enough (or too much) money? Aligning security technology and human resources with return on investment can be tricky, but budget allocations are a realistic pain point for many security departments and must be addressed.
Creating and maintaining a thorough view of an organization’s user, network, and system, traffic allows a security team to design a blueprint to a comprehensive security strategy. Communicating that plan and measuring its success requires the right metrics to align IT with business and prevent widespread damage from information thieves.
Be a cybersecurity rock star. Just like any musician, you’ll have your big hits and your flops. But when you can see where you’re going, with the right visibility into your systems, you will be TCB — Takin’ Care of Business.
Resources
"20 Eye-Opening Cybercrime Statistics: by Bill Laberis, SecurityIntelligence, Nov. 14, 2016; https://securityintelligence.com/20-eye-opening-cybercrime-statistics/
"6 Must-Know Cybersecurity Statistics for 2017", by Brianna Gammons, Barkly Blog, Jan. 2017; https://blog.barkly.com/cyber-security-statistics-2017
About the Author: Dr. Eric Cole is CEO of Secure Anchor, former CTO of McAfee and Lockheed Martin, member of the Commission on Cyber Security for President Obama, the security advisor for Bill Gates and his family, and author of the book, Online Danger: How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones From the Evil Side of the Internet. For more information, please visit, www.onlinedanger.com, and connect with Dr. Cole on Twitter, @drericcole.